Reverse Sneezing In Chihuahuas

Have you heard of reverse sneezing? As dog owners, we often fear for the worst when we hear strange noises from our pets – and Chihuahua parents are no exception. If anything, we can tend to overreact when it comes to the safety of our furry little friends!

Among the many interesting noise phenomena that our canines are capable of, reverse sneezing is one that’s often a cause for extreme alarm among lovers of these pint-sized pups. For the most part, though, this behavior is often short-lived and harmless for your friend on four paws, even though it can look and sound like an emergency for your Chi.

It’s a good idea, too, to know the difference between this harmless reflex and more serious respiratory issues like collapsing trachea, another common health problem for Chihuahuas or Kennel Cough, which is common among all dogs.

First, what is reverse sneezing? Well, when your dog sneezes in their regular manner, air is pushed out through their nose. A reverse sneeze is exactly as described – air is pulled in though your pup’s nose instead (essentially a backwards sneeze), usually making a very distinct sound that is head-turning for a pet parent, to say the least!

During an episode of reverse sneezing, dogs will usually breathe in rapidly and stand still with their heads stretched out and their legs apart, making a loud snorting or honking noise that might sound like he’s choking on something. Some owners even describe it as looking and sounding very similar to a cat trying to bring up a hairball!

Generally, reverse sneezing episodes in dogs last no more than a minute or two though, with dogs acting normally in between episodes.

Here’s a video that shows a pug doing the reverse sneezing thing and what a Vet has to say about it.

In comparison, tracheal collapse is a condition in which your pup’s trachea partially collapses or flattens out as your Chi is trying to breath. This particular problem causes irritation to your dog’s airway, and results in gagging, coughing or wheezing symptoms, all of which are quite distinctive and different from reverse sneezing.

When in doubt as to what might be causing your pup to produce odd breathing sounds, take advantage of modern technology and try to record video of your dog’s behavior for your vet, since this can give them a much clearer picture of the symptoms your canine companion might be experiencing.

The jury is still out on determining the exact cause for reverse sneezing in our pups, though it seems to serve the purpose of getting rid of irritating nasal intruders like dust, dirt and pollens. In Chihuahuas, who seem to have a higher incidence of reverse sneezing than many breeds, things like drinking too fast, over-excitement, and use of a collar instead of a harness while walking are all potential triggers.

It’s also thought that canine allergies or inflammation of a dog’s nasal passages can also contribute to the incidence of these episodes, too, and the behavior isn’t just limited to our small Chi sidekicks – any breed, age or sex of dog can experience reverse sneezing incidents.

I love this video of how Dr. Karen Becker explains reverse sneezing and what to do about it.

Although it can be impossible to predict episodes of reverse sneezing, there are a few things that you can do to help your pup at the time. Massaging your Chihuahua’s throat, gently opening their mouth or pulling on their tongue can help to stop the sneezing reflex, as can offering them a small amount of food or water. If these things don’t help, then briefly and gently pinching your pup’s nostrils closed may help stop the sneezing spasm, too (no more than 3-4 seconds, for example).

Most reverse sneezing episodes are completely harmless and your Chihuahua will probably recover problem free, but there are some occasions that should be cause for concern. Constant episodes of reverse sneezing throughout the day, or an increasing frequency of them are good reasons to get in touch with your Chihuahua’s veterinarian.

Keep an eye on your pup for other serious signs like: discharge from their nostrils, nosebleeds, difficulty breathing, odd facial appearance or change in appetite – these could potentially signal that there’s something more serious going on with your furry family member, like a viral infection, polyps, nasal mites or even cancerous growth.

If you suspect your pup is sneezing because of allergies, your vet may be able to discuss giving your dog an antihistamine at certain times of year to decrease your dog’s reactivity to annoying airborne particles, too.

In the end, even if your Chihuahua has never experienced an episode of reverse sneezing, it’s never a bad idea to educate yourself about this condition, as these cute little canines do tend to be more prone to a reverse sneezing reflex. Knowing what to expect and being prepared in advance of an episode allows you to keep calm and help your dog effectively to recover and continue their day happy and stress-free!

And just to make you feel a little more at ease about this condition, I had a wonderful poodle (who was a therapy dog for nursing homes and hospitals) who dealt with reverse sneezing through out his whole life and he lived to be one month shy of his 19th birthday.

Mi Chi has this too. I have found that using a harness instead of a collar has helped; as well as gently stroking his throat or covering his nose with the palm of my hand helps too. It’s funny how sometimes he’ll get it when he’s excited, other times he can just be relaxing with me and it starts. I don’t worry about it anymore but I did when I first got him.

Yes, Kilosmom. It was scary and still sometimes bothers me when it goes longer than usual. I’ve had my Chi for over four years and he does it much less since I stopped using collars. He’s been on a harness since maybe a couple of months after I got him.

My Rosebud, or known as Rosie, has this happen quite often when she gets excited, especially when my son-in-law comes over. She is crazy about him. I didn’t know what it was, so a big Thank You to you for this information. I am glad to know I was doing the right thing to help her, lightly massaging her throat, and talking softly to her. Thanks again.

My little 3 lb Jose has done this several times a day every day for all of his four years of his life. A couple of years ago he had to have a couple of baby teeth pulled, i had his vet check him for any defect that would cause this, and he didn’t have any. It turned out to be a backwards sneeze. He gets them pretty bad at times. I have found that if the neck massage doesn’t work, i blow into his face, and he takes a normal breath, and he is ok after that.

My little “G.B.” does the reverse sneezing thing also. It’s kinda random so haven’t figured out if anything in particular triggers it. If you will notice..they always stick their nose straight up in the air, which makes it worse…gently push it back down with your palm ON top of their nose & open their mouth if you can with your fingers…this immediately gives them relief. 🙂

I was frightened also being a first time chi owner. I thought she was aspirating (food/fluid going into lungs) on water, then came across reverse sneezing. PP mainly does it during or after drinking, but occasionally for no apparent reason.

Our Any does this often especially every day when her Daddy comes home. We just let her get finished, stand her in the floor if were holding her. Her little butt is going a hundred miles an hour the whole time. We just watch her close and let her get it out of her system. Then try to greet her calmly with loss of love, kisses, neatly rubs, but scratches, ant thing she wants. My husband bought her as a Min Pin. But we know better. She looks nothing like her Pin bother. But that doesn’t matter, we love this ugly little girl as much, to the moon and back a zillion times

My Buddy just had this happen a week ago. It was pretty frequent, which got we worried. I took him to the vet and he gave him a shot of benedryl.
I think Buddy’s was caused by pollen while we were outside. I was glad I thought to video the episode, so I could show the vet when we got there!

Buddy is fine now…still have a very occasional episode of short duration!

The first time I saw my boy, Paco do it, I rushed him to the vet. At first, I didn’t even believe the vet, I thought Gosh that sounded & looked so awful, it must be something very serious. I went home and did some research and was so relieved to see that in fact it was reverse sneezing. He gets it mostly when he is excited. I massage his throat and it usually goes away quickly. Hope all the fur babies who suffer from this feel better.

I panicked too Sandra the first time I saw it. My terri-poo who was also a therapy dog did it one time when we were at a children’s hospital. He was just so excited to be with all those kids but I thought he was dying! Fortunately I was with someone else who had experience with it and she showed me what to do to stop it and told me what it was. That was about 10 years ago.

Our Snickerz does this, I feel so bad for her! Her little body tenses up & she looks so scared when it happens! The Vet said reverse sneeze – I thought she was crazy!
I felt better after reading up on it being so common.

my dog continued this backward sneezing a month , after I had taken him to vet. we went back and they did biopsy on his sinus and found it to be nasel cancer. stay vigilant, not always allergies or hay fever. I had never heard of cancer in the nasel prior to this.

I did the same thing the first time mine did it (about 15 years ago). I panicked and rushed him to the vet! I think that everyone there thought I was a crazy Chihuahua lady (I am actually :)). It scared me so much, I did some serious research and this is what I learned:

Backward or reverse sneezing is also known as a collapsed trachea and is most common in small dogs; Chihuahuas, Yorkies, Pugs, etc. The trachea is a little like a vacuum hose that has small rings (cartilage) that keep the airways open. It can be something they are born with or a deficiency in calcium, disease, or obesity.

Yep you are right Linda although it’s my understanding that tracheal collapse is a mosre severe form of the reverse sneezing. Luckily, many dogs live with this their whole lives without it becoming too severe or life threatening.

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[…] we hear from Chihuahua owners is wondering why their dog keeps coughing. Most likely it’s reverse sneezing which is very common in Chihuahuas. It could also be Kennel Cough which is highly contagious. But […]

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Cathy is an avid dog lover and has had many dogs throughout her life. When she rescued her first Chihuahua, she was hooked on the breed.
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